Thomas A. Crum

A Controlled Evaluation and Description of Individual-Cognitive Problem Solving and Family-Behavior Therapies in Dually-Diagnosed Conduct-Disordered and Substance-Dependent Youth

ABSTRACT There is a strong comorbid relationship between conduct and substance disorders in youth. However, there is an absence of controlled studies that have explicitly examined treatment efficacy in this dually-diagnosed population. In the present study, 56 such youth were randomly assigned to receive either individual-cognitive therapy or family-behavioral therapy. Subjects in both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in their conduct and reductions in their use of illicit drugs from pretreatment to post-treatment, and these results were maintained at follow-up. Measures of youth satisfaction with parents, parent satisfaction with youth, and overall mood of these youth demonstrated similar improvements and closely corresponded with improvements in standardized measures of conduct and drug use. No significant differences were found in conduct or reductions of illicit drug use between subjects in the two intervention conditions at post-treatment, or at 6-month follow-up. Study implications are discussed in light of these results.

Identification of neuropsychological subtypes in a sample of delinquent adolescents

Although research has long recognized a relationship between neurological dysfunction and delinquency, the nature of this relationship is unclear. Based on the theory that there may be clusters of delinquents with different types of neurological dysfunction which contribute to the delinquency in different ways, the present research attempted to identify these subtypes using neuropsychological testing. Seventy-seven such adolescents were administered the full Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III (LNNB-III) and a battery of assessments measuring behavioral functioning and substance use. A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis yielded four identifiable neuropsychological clusters: Verbal/Left-Hemispheric Deficits, Subcortical-Frontal Deficits, Mild-Verbal Deficits, and Normals. The distinctiveness of these subtypes was confirmed by univariate analyses. Results further indicated that the number of LNNB scales that were in the abnormal range differed per subtype, with each subtype differing significantly from one another. These neuropsychological subtypes were found to be associated with specific psychological and behavioral problems.

Internal consistency and discriminant validity of the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III.

This research presents data pertaining to the development of the recently revised Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III. The final version of this test battery consists of 31 clinical scales yielding 35 scores. The battery was given to 109 non brain-injured controls and 119 brain-injured subjects. High internal consistency was demonstrated for each clinical scale. Results further indicated that the test battery was very effective at discriminating between normal and brain-injured subjects, as significant between-group differences on 33 of 35 scores were observed. Significant between-group differences were also observed on 25 of the 35 scores when age and education were covaried out of the analyses; those scales not displaying significant between-group differences generally measured very basic over-learned skills.

Prediction of WAIS-R indices based on performance on the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III

The purpose of this research was to examine the clinical utility of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery - Third Edition (LNNB-III) in estimating intellectual functioning as measured by the WAIS-R. Ninety-one subjects were administered the WAIS-R and the LNNB-III. Multiple regression were calculated to examine the ability of the LNNB-III clinical scales to predict FSIQ, VIQ, and PIQ indices. The LNNB-III General Intelligence Scale (GI) predicted FSIQ within 10 points 79% of the time, and within 15 points 97% of the time. Similarly, GI predicted VIQ and PIQ indices with 67% accuracy within 10 points and with 91% and 87% accuracy, respectively, within 15 points. A combination of LNNB clinical scales fared no better than GI alone when predicting the FSIQ index. However, a combination of LNNB-III scales predicted VIQ with 80% accuracy within 10 points and with 94% accuracy within 15 points. In contrast, a combination of LNNB-III clinical scales predicted the PIQ index 76% of the time within 10 points and 90% of the time within 15 points. GI appears to be a good alternative when an estimate of intellectual functioning is desired given its less than 10 minute administration time. When greater specificity regarding VIQ and PIQ estimates are desired, a combination of specific LNNB-III scales appear preferable.

Concurrent validity and analysis of learning curves on the memory scales of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Third Edition.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the concurrent validity of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery Third Edition (LNNB-III) memory scales with the WSM-R (study 1), as well as to investigate performance differences between brain-injured and nonbrain injured subjects on the LNNB-III memory indices, first trial learning, and learning curves of each scale (study 2). Study 1 had 90 subjects (46 males and 44 females). Study 2 had 228 subjects (109 normals and 119 brain-injured). Significant correlations were found between the LNNB-III memory scales and the WSM-R index scores. Findings also revealed poorer overall performance and initial learning of brain-injured subjects across all LNNB-III memory scales. Brain-injured subjects also demonstrated significantly reduced learning curves across repeated trials on two of the three scales. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.